Furniture-caster.



' F/LJOG'. 1-

' T. DOLL.

FURNITURE GASTEB.

AAAAAAAAA 0N TILED JULY 6, 1911.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

TZeacZorefloZZ COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH C0..WAsmNGTON, n, c.

Suva/whoa THEODORE DOLL, OF NORA SPRINGS, IOWA.

FURNITURE-CASTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Application filed July 6, 1911. Serial No. 637,183.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE DOLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nora Springs, in the county of Floyd and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture Casters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in furniture casters of the class wherein provision is made for withdrawing the caster when not in use, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction and increase the efliciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the actuating mechanism is concealed from view so that the attachment does not present any different appearance from an ordinary caster.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

The improved device may be applied to any of the various articles of furniture upon which casters are employed, such as tables, chairs, desks, couches, pianos, organs, bedsteads and the like, and it is not desired therefore to limit the invention to any specific article of furniture to which it may be applied, but for the purpose of illustration is shown applied to a conventional table leg, and in the drawings thus employed: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation with the caster in projected position; Fig. 2 is a similar View with the caster in withdrawn position; Fig. 3 is a front view of a portion of a table leg illustrating the arrangement of the slot in which the rods operate.

The improved device is shown applied to a table leg represented conventionally at 10 and is provided with a relatively large cavity indicated at 11 in its lower end, the cavity being preferably lined with a metal cassing 12. The casing 12 will be preferably employed as the strength of the device is thereby materially increased, but it will be understood that the casing is not an essential feature of the invention. The leg 10 is provided with a longitudinal bore indicated at 13 and enlarged at its lower end as shown at 14, the bore and its enlargement communicating with the cavity 11, as shown. Extending transversely through the casing 12 and the cavity 11, is a shaft 15, and connected to this shaft is a caster frame 16 having the caster wheel 17, as shown. Y Any of the various forms of casters may be employed and it is not desired therefore to limit the invention in this respect. Extending upwardly from the frame 16 is a shank 18 and slidably disposed within the bore 13 is an operating rod 19. At its lower end the rod 19 is pivoted at 20 to a link 21, the latter being in turn pivoted at 22 at its lower end to the upper end of the shank 18 of the frame 16. The rod 19, the link 21 and the shank 18 are of the same size and circular transversely, and the joints which connect the three parts 19 2118 conform to the cyllndrical outline of the three parts so that a sleeve 23 will readily move without obstruction or unnecessary friction over the three parts. By this arrangement when the three parts 18-2119 are in longitudinal alinement the sleeve may be engaged thereover and serve as a locking element thereto as shown in Fig. 1.

A transverse recess 24 is formed in the body of the leg 10 and communicates with the upper end of the bore 13, and the rod 19 is provided with a. lateral offset 25 which projects through the recess 24 and beyond the outer face of the leg 10 to form a finger grip to enable the rod to be manipulated. Located within the recess 24 is a stop pin or lug 26 while the offset 25 is provided with a recess 27 to engage over the lug. The lug thus forms a suitable catch with which the oifset 25 is engaged when the rod 19 is in its upward position and thus locks the rod and holds the parts 19-2118 in vertical alinement as shown in Fig. 1. The recess 24 is relatively long, and connected at 28 to the sleeve 23, is another rod 29 which extends upwardly through a suitable bore in the leg 10 and into the recess 24 and is provided with .a lateral oifset 30 similar to the offset 25 and projecting beyond the outer face of the leg 10 to provide a suitable finger-grip to enable the sleeve to be manipulated.

With the device thus constructed, the operation is as follows: When it is desired to dispose the casters in operative position the table is slighely elevated to relieve the casters of the weight of the table and the rod 19 elevated by pressure applied to the projccting offset 25 and the latter coupled. to the catch 26 as shown in Fig. 1. The rod 29 is then depressed by pressure applied to the offset 80 to cause the sleeve 23 to move downwardly over the alined members 19 2l-18 and thus lock them in their alined positions with the caster projecting below the leg in position to support the table or other article of furniture. By this simple means an eflicient caster device is produced. \Vhen it is desired to release the caster the rod 29 is moved upwardly by pressure applied to the projection 30 and the offset 25 released from its cat-ch 26 when the weight of the table will immediately dispose the caster and its connections in the position shown in Fig. 2 with the bottom of the leg bearing upon the floor and the caster device concealed entirely within the casing 12.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured and applied to various articles of furniture without material change either to the furniture or the attachment.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a device of the class described, a frame adapted to be swingingly supported upon an article of furniture and carrying a caster, an operating rod, a link pivoted re spectively to said rod and to said frame, a sleeve slidable over said rod and frame and likewise over said link, means for actuating said rod, and means for actuating said sleeve.

The combination with an article of furwise over said link, another rod connected to said sleeve and provided with an offset extending through said recess.

8. The combination with an article of furniture having a longitudinal bore and a transverse recess communicating with the bore, a catch within the recess, a frame swingingly supported upon said article of furniture, a caster carried by said frame, an operating rod movable in said bore and with a lateral ofi'set extending through said recess and adapted to engage said catch when the rod is in elevated position, a link pivoted re spectively to said rod and to said frame, a sleeve slidable over said rod and frame and likewise over said link, another rod connected to said sleeve and provided with an offset extending through said recess.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE DOLL.

Witnesses KAnoLINE B. DoLL,

LUELLA A. MooDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents. each, by addressing 'the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

